After shooting a horrendous 3/22 from the three-point line in the first three games, Karl Anthony-Towns turned it around with a 4/5 performance from deep in a must-win Game 4. His late-game contributions enabled the Timberwolves to avoid a Western Conference Finals sweep against the Mavs. Has Karl-Anthony Towns gained his rhythm back at the right juncture or is it too late? Stephen A. Smith answered the question as the Wolves forced Game 5 back at Target Center in Minnesota.
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Smith expressed on First Take that despite being down 1-3, the T-Wolves squad still has a glimmer of hope. The ESPN analyst began by giving props to KAT for his incredible 25-point showing in Game 4.
“I gotta give credit where credit is due to Karl Anthony-Towns. He was horrific in the first three games and we were wondering where the self-proclaimed best shooting big man had gone, it was an APB out for him. But he showed up, he showed up big time last night,” Stephen A. Smith said on First Take.
He also posited that the series can go farther than Game 5 considering that the points differential between the two squads has been just 8 points across four games. The veteran analyst reminded fans about the Wolves clinching two straight games against the Nuggets in the WCSF after Jokic and Co. had taken a 3-2 lead. Thus, he likes their chances of at least forcing a Game 7 in the WCF series.
“If you can win a Game 7 on the road in Denver, why can’t you win a game 5 on your home turf in Minnesota in a series where each single game has been decided by a grand total of 8 points and come down to clutch time. It is plausible they can make this series very very interesting,” the 55-year-old added.
Despite the Game 4 win, the Wolves still have their backs on the wall as one more loss will end their season. However, they at least avoided a similar fate as the Pacers, who were swept in the ECF by the Celtics. Wolves’ Ace Anthony Edwards took charge to deny Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving a straight-forward ticket to the Finals.
Do the Timberwolves have hope?
After the Game 4 win, Ant-man expressed that he wasn’t going to exit the 2024 playoffs with a sweep. Since he has never tasted such a humiliating fate, he ensured that his squad at least forced a Game 5 on their home turf.
“I ain’t even been swept in my career… I took it personal,” Edwards conveyed after the win.
Meanwhile, 2024 Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid took it a step further and claimed that his squad has the chops to win four in a row and enter the NBA Finals.
“If anyone can win four straight in this scenario, I think it’s us,” Reid declared confidently.
No team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in NBA history, but the Celtics did force a Game 7 against the Miami Heat during the 2023 ECFs, only to lose in Game 7. At this point, it is a stretch to say that Edwards and Co. will make history considering they are up against the juggernaut of Irving and Doncic.
